Context

Born 1907; joined Odhams Press where he started as a layout and lettering artist and graduated to Studio Manager,1924-1939; Art Director and Studio Manager of General Production Division, Ministry of Information, 1939-1945; returned to Odhams Press, 1945; died, 2000.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Papers of Edwin Embleton, 1939-1949, chiefly comprising World War Two propaganda pamphlets, 1939-1945, on subjects including the Allied war effort, the Home Front, British Allies, anti-Nazism and the Empire, largely produced by the Ministry of Information for dissemination both within Britain and overseas. These pamphlets are in a number of European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian languages. An approximate translation has been provided for all foreign language titles. The remainder of the collection comprises Ministry of Information produced propaganda posters, postcards, cigarette cards, scrapbook stamps; portraits of Islamic leaders; maps from the Ministry of Information 'Map series' for use by newspapers; American propaganda pamphlets and Ministry of Information administrative papers. Administrative papers include progress reports, memoranda and plans relating to strategy, visual presentation, print deadlines and staff.

Arranged in sections as follows: pamphlets; material with no or very little text (such as postcards and cigarette cards) and administrative papers. Pamphlets have been arranged by language except for the first section consisting of multi lingual series, where the items have been arranged by series, regardless of language. Pamphlets that do not form part of a series have been arranged by language, editions that appear in several different languages are cross referenced. Languages with a large quantity of material (English and French) have been further subdivided into subject categories. Within the sections pamphlets are ordered chronologically.

Conditions governing access:

Open, subject to signature of reader's undertaking form.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copies, subject to the condition of the original, may be supplied for research use only. Requests to publish original material should be submitted to the Trustees of the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, attention of the Director of Archive Services.

Finding aids:

A list of the leaflets in the Embleton collection with editions in more than one language, arranged alphabetically by title, is available in hard copy in the reading room (located in the Embleton file). A detailed catalogue is available online and also in hard copy in the Centre's reading room.

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Three boxes of material were acquired by the Centre from Edwin Embleton in 1996. Following his death, a second deposit of material was acquired from his daughter in 2002.

Allied Materials

Related material:

National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum: Items from Embleton's collection of Ministry of Information printed material; Imperial War Museum (IWM): Three scrapbooks of press clippings related to the Ministry of Information, which Embleton kept throughout the war; oral history interview with Embleton, 26 Nov 1995: 16340; Design Archives, University of Brighton: Ministry of Information printed propaganda from 1939-1945, including over 80 magazines, pamphlets and other ephemera, mainly in English, but also in other languages including French, Spanish, Dutch and Arabic; The National Archives: Ministry of Information Original Art Work (ref: INF 3); Correspondence (1 file) relating to commissioning a portrait of the Prime Minister; includes references to Sir Kenneth Clark, Eric Kennington, William Nicholson, Dugdale A R Thompson and Augustus John (who achieved the commission), Aug 1942-Apr 1943, (ref: INF 1/640). Correspondence (1 file) with the agents War Artists and Illustrators (mostly with W C Warner), relating to contracts with artists for illustrative propaganda material; artists include A S Nour, Frank Norton, Harold Pym; also one letter from Graham Greene, 1939-1941, (ref: INF 1/638).

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:Entry compiled by Sarah Drewery.

Rules or conventions:Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal Place and Corporate Names 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:Jul 1998, updated 2002; updated 2008.

Related Subject Search

Armed forces

Civil defence

Communication process

Defence

International conflicts

International relations

Maps

Military organizations

Organizations

Persuasion

Propaganda

State security

Visual materials

War

War Propaganda

Wars (events)

World War Two (1939-1945)

World wars (events)

* To search for other records with similar subjects, tick any subjects above then click "Run New Search"